Kendy stands at the crossroads of two Vietnamese communities — LGBTQ people and bodybuilders — in a patriarchal and conservative society where obedience is often expected of women above anything else, and homosexuality is discouraged.

Having taken some years to accept his true gender identity, Kendy’s family is still far more progressive than the Vietnam Bodybuilding Federation, which hasn’t even broached the subject yet, instead barring Kendy from competing in the men’s division.

“It doesn’t matter if I am a trans man or not,” he says with a smile. “What matters is my attempt at bodybuilding and that I put my effort into training.”

1975, Nha Trang, South Vietnam, An American official punches a man in the face as an already overloaded evacuation helicopter is about to be ‘swamped’ by others trying to board in the scramble to reach safety ahead of the communist advance

An Australian sapper looks into a Viet Cong tunnel in the Ho Bo Woods, north-west of Saigon, during Operation Crimp. This operation marked the first time Allied (US and Australian) forces discovered and explored the VC’s extensive tunnel network. Republic of Vietnam, January 1966

A beautiful series of photographs featuring the street vendors of Hanoi by photographer Loes Heerink. In order to get the desired shots (all captured from above) Heerink got up at 4am and positioned herself atop various bridges throughout the city, sometimes waiting for hours for vendors to pass by. #Love it!

Top Shot: The Incense of Red

Top Shot features the photo with the most votes from the previous day’s Daily Dozen. The Daily Dozen is 12 photos chosen by the Your Shot editors each day from thousands of recent uploads. Our community has the chance to vote for their favorite from the selection and the Top Shot will be featured on the @natgeoyourshot Instagram.

Incense plays an important role in Vietnamese life as it is considered as a sacred bridge to connect the visible life of human beings and the world of heaven, earth and gods. Making incense has been a traditional job in Vietnam for thousand of years. Photograph by Tran Tuan Viet

When Lyndon B. Johnson was
interviewed by a reporter who asked
him why American troops were in
Vietnam, he was so frustrated that
he unzipped his pants, pulled out
his penis (which he’d named ‘Jumbo’),
and shouted “This is why!” SourceSource 2